This report examines recent trends in the nature and frequency of sports participation among adults aged 18 to 75 living in mainland France, as well as the motivations behind these activities. It also identifies the main socio-professional determinants associated with sports participation in 2017. Data from the 2000 and 2017 Santé publique France barometer modules on sports participation were analyzed, respectively on representative national subsamples of 12,588 and 12,637 adults aged 18 to 75 residing in mainland France. In 2017, 60% of adults reported having participated in a sport during the previous 7 days, compared to 37% in 2000. This percentage increased by a factor of 1.5 between 2000 and 2017 (1.4 for men and 1.6 for women; standardized data), reflecting a significant rise in sports participation among women and older adults. The gender gap in sports participation is greatest among the youngest age groups and narrows as people get older, eventually disappearing. The standardized sex ratio (men/women) among 18- to 25-year-olds decreased between 2000 and 2017, falling from 1.4 to 1.2. Walking is the most frequently cited activity, with more than 20% of men and more than 30% of women reporting that they engaged in this activity in 2017. This proportion more than doubled between 2000 and 2017 in the general population, reflecting the increase in sports participation, the predominance of walking among women and especially among seniors, and undoubtedly also greater recognition of recreational walking as a sport in its own right in 2017. The main motivations cited by more than 65% of men and women, in both 2000 and 2017, are enjoyment and health. Educational level, perceived financial situation, and socio-professional category are three variables associated with sports participation in 2017, regardless of gender. Furthermore, this study indicates that having a child under the age of 5 reduces sports participation among women by 15% in 2017.